Beyond the Grave
by Haruka's Knight
Summary: AU. Spin off from Cowrad's Way Out. What do you do when you lose someone you love?
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Alternate Universe and Character Death.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. I do not own Fred, Susan, Michael or any Ten'ou that appears as they are based off real people, hence they own themselves. I probably own the investigators who are to be mentioned, but I will point out if I don't.

**AN. **This is a spin off from my story "Coward's Way Out". Please be warned that this will make no sense if you haven't read that but that in all likelihood this story will be lighter hearted (I hope). This does still deal with death, suicide and its aftermath but is written with a far lighter and less realistic view. Read at your own risk, oh and reviews are treasured.

**Preface:**

There are many unknowns about death and what comes after this existence ends. Many beliefs, legends, myths and stories try to explain this to those who live. One such explanation is ghosts.

Ghosts are usually thought of as spirits like gasper or as poltergeists that we see in horror films. However some of these fabled ghosts are just imprints on time, an event so filled with emotion that it seems to mark the very place it happened.

However this story does not deal with an event, which repeats again and again until time itself ends. Nor is this a haunting campfire tale of a murder victim come back for their revenge. This is not Casper, a little boy who just died before his time. This isn't even the tale of the ghost, so much as of the one who felt the need to find answers where others had brushed off the tale.

When someone you love dies, the pain is comparable to nothing else. It cannot be measured because of its uniqueness. When they are taken before their time most are always left asking "Why did this happen?" but when that person takes their own life.. Every question becomes so much more important, ever otherwise unimportant argument replays. Questions seem to come at the speed of light. The worst part of this is that, unlike murder, heart attack, disease or other causes, the reason for suicide goes with you to the grave. Those left behind can piece together clues, guess all they want, but the only one who knows the truth no longer exists in the world of the living.

This is the tale of Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Ten'ou.


	2. Game Night

**Beyond the Grave: **

**By Haruka's Knight**

**Chapter Two: Game Night**

Haruka Ten'ou felt like laughing, after all there were certain things that you didn't expect upon dying. Add to that the fact the Haruka had been the cause of her own death and well, she'd pretty much expected to find out if the whole fire and brim stone were real. Her first days after death had been a blur, an incoherent chain of hazy images which made little or no sense. She remembered people crying, a few curse words, but nothing much beyond. She thought she'd lost some time, a week, a month? Who knew? Time was relative when you no longer aged. She did, after this lost time, become aware of a chill deeper than the coldest winter night she'd ever known. She'd "woken" to the crypt one night, the first time feeling like little more than a floating ball of energy. She floated about on the breeze, noting others not of the living as they went about their own nights. . . But during the days she seemed trapped within her tomb, listening to the voices of any who decided to visit. Hearing them speak, or cry, or merely feeling their presence as they stared silently at her tomb.

It all changed that one night, as she slowly "awoke" to Michiru sitting at a kitchen table. Since that night Haruka didn't know what to think, and honestly all the "friendly ghost" as Michiru had once dubbed her, could do was think. Each night since then, as the sun sank on the horizon, Haruka had slowly come into being and each morning she faded but didn't really leave. Rather, she became invisible and completely immaterial. She knew of events during the day, but that was about it. It seemed wrong, she thought, that she currently seemed to be getting a reward for her death. Perhaps it was meant as a double edged sword, a way for her to see the life she had denied herself. She didn't yet see the down side, other than her own want to effect the world around her at times.

"I have a headache." Haruka announced tonight, shortly after coming to herself in a corner of Michiru's office. They'd discovered that wherever Michiru kept the final letter seemed to be where the blonde appeared. The beautiful young woman at the desk looked up, surprise at seeing her dead love having worn off a bit over the months, and raised an aqua eyebrow.

"Haruka." Michiru met the translucent blonde's eyes and spoke in the motherly tone she often used with Hotaru. "You don't have any nerves, I'm not sure you should be able to feel pain."

"I have no eyes either, but I still see." Haruka pointed out and saw Michiru restrain a small smile. They were interrupted by a knock at the door, followed by Setsuna poking her head inside. The other woman looked around the quite office before eyeing Michiru.

"I thought I heard you talking to someone." She stated, confusion filling garnet colored eyes.

"Just thinking out loud." Michiru gave the standard excuse, but she had a feeling Setsuna was buying it less as they days wore on. They exchanged an uneasy smile, only blue eyes seeing the blonde who seemed to be trying to back into a dark corner as if she could be seen.

"Hotaru wants to play Monopoly tonight." Setsuna told her, eyes looking about one more time for anything she'd missed. "Family game night, we're hoping to start in a few minutes."

"I'll be out there soon." Michiru promised and sighed in relief when her old friend backed out and closed the door. Blue eyes looked back at her personal Casper and she shook her head. "She can't see you, you already know that."

"Force of habit, I mean I don't want to scare her out of her mind." Haruka paused and then smirked a bit. "I think I forgot who I'm talking about, Setsuna isn't that easy to scare unless there's a possum around."

"Please behave this week." Michiru said as she closed the files she'd been working on and put her computer to sleep. She was climbing to her feet as Haruka replied.

"I'll try." The blonde said, then turned and walked through the wall. That was something Michiru still felt slightly disconcerted about. There were days she wondered if Haruka was really in her mind alone.

**#***##****###*****####

Michiru did her best to focus on their game of Monopoly, but a certain tall blonde was as distracting as always. The bored ghost reached out at times to bat at the pieces as if she were a cat, the pieces were unaffected. At one point she wandered over to sit beside Setsuna, who though she clearly couldn't see the ghost kept glancing that way as if she expected someone to be there. Michiru had to bite her lip when the blonde poked the tall woman and Setsuna shivered, stating she'd just felt very chilled. While Setsuna reacted to what she couldn't see, and Michiru tried not to react to what she could, Hotaru seemed perfectly happy and content. Family game night went well, and Hotaru won by a land slide.

Haruka shadowed Michiru as she got Hotaru ready for bed and tucked her in. She offered a bed time story but Hotaru shook her head, yawning before she closed her eyes. Michiru slipped from the room, but Haruka paused for a moment and watched the young girl. One purple eye opened, looking about in the glow of her night light and focusing easily on Haruka. The blonde tilted her head, reminding herself that if Setsuna couldn't see her there was no reason to think anyone else could. . . Yet Hotaru was clearly looking right at her as she opened her other eye and slowly sat up.

"I'm Hotaru." She said, calm as an old soul as she regarded the blonde.

"I know, I'm Haruka." The blonde replied, feeling silly and expecting no response. Maybe the girl just felt her a bit, as Setsuna seemed to. She started to turn but Hotaru spoke again.

"I know who you are, I've seen pictures of you." The little girl didn't see at all frightened as she looked at the ghost. "Will you tell me a story?"

"I. . ." Haruka was at a lost for words for a few moments, as the girl looked up at her innocently. She gave herself a mental shake, reminding herself to act normal for the kid's sake. After all, it probably wouldn't help anyone if the ghost ran from the room like a cat with a dog on her heels. She forced a smile and came to kneel beside Hotaru's bed. "What story do you want to hear, princess?"

**#***##****###*****####

"Michiru, I'm worried about you." Setsuna said as they finished putting away the night's dishes. Michiru looked to her friend and tried to smile.

"Why are you worried about me?"

"Maybe we should sit down, have some tea." Setsuna suggested, reached for the tea pot even as she spoke. The aqua haired woman realized this was not going to be a good talk, still she respected her friend and housemate so she took a seat at the table. They waited for the tea, and only when they each had a cup in hand did Setsuna broach what she'd been thinking of. "These last two years have been hard for us all, but you haven't dated since Haruka died. I don't mean to push, I know things were complicated between you two, but don't you think it's time to move on?"

"What?" Michiru looked up quickly, shock washing over her features clearly. She thanked her luck that Haruka, her real or imagined ghost, was not in the room for this talk. Biting her lip she momentarily worried about what the blonde was doing, but forced her mind back to the issue at hand. Her friend was eyeing her with concern and what appeared to be pity, Michiru wasn't sure she liked it. "Sets, I'm not ready for that and frankly I'm not sure I ever will be. . . . Haruka was very special and I can't imagine anyone taking her place."

"Michi, you two never even dated." Setsuna reminded her as kindly as she could, taking one of her hands across the table. "There were times when many of us thought you two were, but you didn't. Don't you think Haruka would want you to be happy?"

Michiru didn't know how to respond, and as she was trying to think of something she looked up at the doorway. A very pale Haruka was standing there, she looked panicked and that scared Michiru a bit. In all the time she'd seen the ghost blonde she'd never looked scared or panicked in anyway, in fact one might even say that when she wasn't acting bored Haruka almost seemed zen these days. Now she stood in the doorway, rocking in place trying to mime something to Michiru. Blue eyes shifted from the door, to Setsuna and back again. Finally Michiru stood, dumping untouched tea in the sink and sighing.

"I can't do this, not yet." She informed her friend as she started toward the door. "I need to do some work, clear my head. I'll be okay, really."

Michiru was grateful when she closed her office door. Haruka hadn't appeared to have followed, but when she turned the blonde was there. She looked as if she was sitting in one of the chairs across the desk from Michiru's, but the young woman knew Haruka didn't really sit. She took her own seat, rubbing at her head from the headache she seemed to have inherited from the ghost.

"What was all that in the kitchen about?" Haruka asked as she bounced a knee in a nervous manner.

"Nothing really, friendly concern." She rested her chin in one hand and watched the blonde's odd behavior. "Haruka, I haven't seen you this nervous or upset since the night you died."

"She can see me, and hear me." The blonde informed her, teal eyes staring into deep blue.

"No she can't, don't you think Setsuna would have said or done something if she'd seen you during Monopoly?"

"Not Sets, Hotaru." Haruka corrected and Michiru stiffened.

"Hotaru can see you?" She asked slowly.

"Yes."

"And she can hear you?" Michiru raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Michiru, after you left her room she sat up, told me her name and asked me to tell her a story." They were both silent for a moment and Michiru bit her lip.

"What did you do?"

"I told her a story." The blonde sighed. "What was I supposed to do? If I act like it's strange that she sees me, she might start to get worried or scared."

"If she tells anyone at school that she sees you they might worry."

"Naw." Haruka waved this idea off. "At her age, they'll just think I'm an imaginary friend. If she were in high school though, well then they'd think she needed counciling."

"That isn't funny Haruka." Michiru sighed and the blonde slumped in her chair. They eyed each other. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Use me as a free baby sitter for eternity?" The blonde offered, seeing the dubious expression this received she tried to smile playfully. "Think about it: Most girls just have a dad, an uncle or a brother to try to threaten their boyfriends, hime-chan has a dead. . . . A ghost . . . Alright, I don't really know what I am."

"Are you ever going to tell me?" Michiru asked quietly, her expression changing a bit.

"I just did, I left after I told her the story."

"That's not what I mean Haruka, we've been over this." Her blue eyes watched as the ghost hung her head. Her voice was soft and caring as she asked again. "What happened that last day?"

"Michi, I really don't want to think about this." Haruka sighed and slowly got to her feet, turning away before speaking in a sad voice. "I think some things are best left in the grave." With that the blonde passed through the closed door and was gone for the moment. Michiru closed her eyes and sighed. The one person who could tell her what happened those final hours, maybe give her a bit of closure, didn't want to talk about it.


End file.
